


New Horizons in Alexandria

by HeadmasterFelix



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Blow Jobs, Closeted Character, Coming Out, Courtship, Eventual Smut, Identity Issues, Intense Makeouts, M/M, Minor Maggie Greene/Glenn Rhee, Overcoming Internalized Homophobia, Romance, See chapter notes for relevant warnings about each chapter, Sexual Identity, Slow Build, They get to Alexandria and things actually go smoothly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-16 10:25:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 9,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3484796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeadmasterFelix/pseuds/HeadmasterFelix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spending time around Aaron and Eric, his gay neighbors in Alexandria, Daryl has some old and deeply buried feelings resurface. He hasn't so much as acknowledged them since Merle was around to continually beat them out of him. Together, his family and an insatiable neighbor boy will help him reclaim who he is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Howdy, neighbor.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Summer Afternoon in Alexandria](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3483704) by [HeadmasterFelix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeadmasterFelix/pseuds/HeadmasterFelix). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!Warning!!!
> 
> This chapter contains the F-word. No, not fuck. It's not done in an angry or hateful way, but given the history of the word it is considered by some to be hate speech inherently. If you would like, you can skip it by going down 8 block/paragraph... things. "Daryl clicked his tongue" is the beginning of the part where it is no longer being discussed.

Daryl watched Eric and Aaron walk past the house, hand in hand. Mistrust, gratitude and jealousy mingled inside of him and twisted his face into what must have looked like disgust because it elicited a vulgar response.

"What, you got a problem with fags?" his teenage Remy Lebeau wanna-be neighbor was looking at him from over the porch railing, an eyebrow quirked and an amused smirk on his face.

"What'd you say?" Daryl barked, instantly on the offensive. Ain't nobody talk about nobody like that in front of him.

The neighbor laughed. That was the response he was hoping for, but you never can tell with those deep-south, back-woods types. "Relax, just testing. Besides, I'm allowed to say that."

Daryl sneered. "Oh yeah, why's that?" This better be a good fuckin' explanation.

"It's just one of the perks of being one, I guess," he shrugged and moved around the railing and up the stairs to stand closer to Daryl. "But don't worry, I wouldn't call you that." Jules watched him, waiting for something.

"Course you wouldn't, 'cause I ain't one." Daryl's ferocious offense was quickly becoming a laid-back, ticked-off defense. 

"Yeah, course you ain't," he mimicked Daryl. 

Daryl clicked his tongue and scoffed. "Boy, what're you here for?"

He shrugged and sat on the ground beside Daryl, now sharing his view of the block. "Just thought I'd spend a little time with my new neighbor."

Looking at him out of the corner of his eye, Daryl really took note of him this time. He had wavy, brown hair that was about chin length and his face was perfectly smooth shaven. His body was fit and arms well muscled. His beige, linen dress shirt had the top three buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. It wasn't tucked into his boot-cut jeans. Daryl noticed an oddly shaped, thick leather glove tucked into his belt but moved past it for now. His shoes, black engineer's boots, were well polished and tended. God, he looked good. Daryl felt an incredibly rare stirring in his abdomen. 

"What's your name, anyway?"

"Julien Babineaux, but I prefer to be called Jules."

"What is that, creole?"

"Cajun, actually."

Daryl made a noise indicating that he understood, and then the two were quiet for a bit.

"You're, uh, Daryl, right?"

"Daryl Dixon."

"Pleasure to meet you, Daryl Dixon."

"How old're you? Seventeen?" 

"Nineteen, actually. I turn twenty at the end of the summer." 

Another noise of understanding. 

Maybe thinking of nineteen year old apocalypse survivor as a kid wasn't fair to either of them. Maybe Jules was the first eligible fuck he'd run into in years. Maybe Daryl was looking at him for a suspiciously long amount of time. He cleared his throat and turned his attention to his crossbow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always with all of my works, feedback is loved!


	2. Chapter 2

It was a few days later and the sun was getting low in the sky. Daryl was on the porch again, as he was most evenings, surveying the activity of the neighborhood. Four houses down, he saw Aaron emerge from a house. Eric was seeing him out, and the two chatted for a moment. Aaron slyly took Eric's hand, smirked, and said something else. Eric bashfully looked away, responding. The two of them kissed, and Daryl could swear he saw tongue, although at this distance it was probably just wishful thinking. After a few moments of what amounted to making out on their front porch, Aaron left the property and went strolling down the street in the opposite direction of Daryl. 

A sigh came from the bottom of the porch stairs. Daryl grabbed his knife and turned to find the source of the noise. "Oh, it's just you," he relaxed.

"Pretty hot, huh?" Jules turned his gaze to Daryl.

"Yeah, I guess so," he muttered quietly and shifted, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Oh come on, you don't have to act like you haven't thought about it. Just you and Aaron out on the open road, who knows what you could get up to?"

"What in the hell makes you think I'd be into that?"

Jules shrugged and moved up a couple of stairs. "The way you were looking at them," and suddenly he was all the way on the porch. Daryl dragged his eyes from toe to head. "The way you look at me?"

Daryl clicked his tongue and looked back down the street. "I don't look at you in no way."

"Oh, so it's all in my imagination then?"

"Yeah, must be."

"Fair enough. Maybe it's just wishful thinking."

Daryl's cheeks darkened a little. He hoped his hair was hiding it. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you know, a body and attitude like yours, a libido like mine... I'm bound to have had some thoughts."

He let that sink in a moment. It was more of a compliment than he'd heard in a long time. He looked over Jules again before commenting. Today he wore a tight, maroon, v-neck t-shirt and dark, boot-cut jeans with a black belt and large buckle. Daryl noticed that same weird glove again. He looked like he belonged in the kind of Texas gay bar you could only find in movies.

"Ch, you look like you'd screw anything," Daryl stood abruptly. "Don't sit there tryna act like I'm special or some shit," he stormed into the house and slammed the door.

Jules bit his lip to keep from laughing. That guy could not handle compliments. No matter, he'd come around eventually. Jules continued home.


	3. Bacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jules has a surprising way of life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!WARNING!!
> 
> This chapter contains hunting! There are no graphic details, but I do briefly talk about field dressing, and there is a dead animal. I know this may be offensive or otherwise difficult for some people to read so I wanted to give warning. I've placed some asterisks in bold where all talk even vaguely related to hunting ends, so you can skip to that part if you need to.
> 
> Presumably people who are interested in Daryl would be ok with hunting, but you never know.

The next day, Jules knocked on the door of what had come to be known as the Grimes Residence. Carol opened the door and, seeing who was on the other side, gave a wide smile.

"Well hello, Julien."

"Ma'am." He didn't have time to correct her about his name. "Sorry, but is Daryl here? I really need him."

Carol tried not to smirk or laugh. She'd seen the way those two acted around each other. "Everything okay, hon?" She played the clueless mom figure well.

"Yeah, I just really need his help with something. It's pretty time sensitive."

"Oh, well, I won't keep you. Just hold here a minute." She smiled and retreated into the house, calling for Daryl. She left the door open and a minute later Jules could see Daryl come down the stairs.

Daryl saw Jules at the door and put two and two together. "Whadya want?" he crowded the doorway, making Jules move back. Daryl closed the door behind him so they could talk in some amount of privacy. He eyed the large backpack on the younger man's shoulders.

"I need you to go outside with me."

He furrowed his brow, already understanding that Jules meant outside the walls. "What the hell for?"

"I have something waiting for me. I really need someone to watch my back."

Daryl seemed skeptical. "Can't one of your people do it?"

"Have you seen the people around here? They really can't."

That was definitely a fair point. "Can't you take Glenn or something? Sasha's always itchin' t' get out."

Jules seemed dejected but remained persistent. "No offense, but neither of them seem as strong as you. Look, are you gonna help me or not? I'm kind of on a deadline. If you won't, just say so, and I'll go get Abraham."

"Deadline? What, you got your drug dealer waiting for you or something?"

Jules cracked a smile. "Better. Trust me."

Daryl rolled his eyes and opened the door again. He grabbed up his crossbow, which had been sitting in the entryway, and called to his family. "I'm goin' out!"

 

The two of them headed to the gate in silence. Jules was clearly excited, and Daryl was concealing curiosity. At the gate, Eric greeted them with a smile. "You look like she caught something."

"She definitely did."

"You got a weapon?"

Jules flashed a large bowie knife in a holster on his belt. Eric eyed it, then Daryl's crossbow, and started to open the gate. "Good luck."

Daryl and Jules headed immediately into the woods by the safe-zone and traveled for some time. Eventually, Jules stopped them. "Alright, I'm gonna need to make some noise. You ready for some biters?"

"'m always ready."

Jules removed a clicker from his pocket and pressed on it a couple of times, then quickly pulled the glove from his belt and put it on. Almost in an instant, a massive, dark brown bird of prey came swooping in, landing with surprising grace on the glove.

Daryl was startled and ducked when the bird came gliding down, but quickly straightened himself out. "The fuck?!"

"Daryl, meet Rosette. Rosette, meet Daryl." Jules gently rubbed the head of the golden eagle perched on his forearm. "Rosey came by a while ago and started pestering me. I'm pretty sure she caught something to share," and with that he bounced his arm, signaling to Rosette. She took off, and Jules quickly headed in the direction she flew.

They ran into a small group of walkers in their way. Daryl quickly dispatched three of them, and Jules took out the other two. "Nice work," Daryl almost begrudgingly complimented Jules.

He raised an eyebrow. "That? Child's play. You know I made it all the way up from bayou, right? I know my way around some biters." He continued walking in the right direction.

"I figured you had help." Daryl followed.

Jules shrugged and his demeanor changed. "For a while, yeah. My parents died near Hunstville, and then my older sister in Charlotte," he cleared his throat, trying to loosen it enough for him to keep speaking. Even from behind, Daryl could tell he was just barely keeping it together. "And then my baby sister got bit in Roanoke, and I came the rest of the way here on my own."

He spoke with a cool reverence, "'M sorry to hear that. I only had a brother at the start of all this. He died back in Georgia. He was a dick, though, so it ain't much loss," he tried to change the subject, for both their sakes. "How'd you find this place?"

Jules welcomed the change. "Aaron, same as you. I guess he actually noticed Rosey before he noticed me. It's really weird to see a golden in this area in the spring, they've usually migrated back west by then. He followed her for a while and she led him right to me. That bird's been the best thing that ever happened to me, honestly."

Before long, Daryl and Jules came upon a rather large and rather dead wild pig. Rosette was on top of it and had, so far, refrained from eating any part of it.

"Oh hell yes!" Jules rushed over and started examining the hog, making sure there were no bites or scratches that seemed to be caused by walkers.

Daryl kept idle watch of the area while focusing most of his attention on Jules. "How'd you get a bird to go huntin' for ya?"

"It's an old tradition called falconry. My mom and dad were both falconers, got me started on it when I was a little kid," he spoke while examining the carcass. "I had a peregrine before all of this - pretty good starter bird - but she got spooked when our parish got overtaken," he pulled out his knife and cut off the pig's ear, giving it to Rosette. "Rosey was my dad's bird, and after he died, she stuck with me. She's been in my family longer than I have."

"She's older than you?"

Jules nodded. "Dad got her as a hatchling - well, started socializing with her as a hatchling. She didn't start hunting for him 'til she was a year or so. She's twenty-five."

"Damn, that's an old bird."

He laughed. "Hey, at this rate she'll probably outlive me," some unfortunate but true dark humor. "Alright, this thing's good to eat! I'm gonna field dress it just enough to get it home safely."

Affinity for the natural world, comfort in hunting and navigating wilderness, respect for cultural traditions, experience with what the world was like now and loss of loved ones - all things they held in common. Daryl shifted uncomfortably as he began to internalize that this kid was more than an obnoxious twink. 

Jules removed the organs and stored the good-to-eat ones into some baggies he brought in his backpack. After making sure they were sandwiched between cold packs he'd snagged from the pantry, he stood up. Rosette dug into the discarded entrails. "So, there's two ways we can play this - either I can drag it and you can stay ready to kill biters, which will take forever but be really safe, or you can help me carry it, which will be a lot faster but maybe less safe if one comes outta nowhere."

He didn't verbally answer, just went over and picked up the pig by its back legs. Jules grabbed the other two and together they made it back to Alexandria.

Daryl hung around the kitchen and helped Jules finish breaking the pig down. The two chatted idly about previous hunting exploits. Much to Daryl's surprise, even before the apocalypse Jules had eaten all the small game Daryl had. "If Rosette eats it, I've tried it," was his reasoning. Once the meat and other goods had been removed and well-packed into a cooler, and the rest of the carcass was set outside to be carried away later, the boys washed up.

**********************

"Well, I should get back..." Daryl gestured with his thumb, pointing behind him and towards his house. Despite his words, he wasn't turning to leave.

"Wait, you should, uh..." Jules searched for an excuse to keep him there. "You wanna take some of the meat with you? You worked for it too, and it's not like Olivia's gonna know I'm not givin' the whole hog to the pantry." He smiled and stepped closer while he was speaking.

Daryl stood his ground as Jules got closer.

"Or we could just... hang out some more?" He got within a few inches of Daryl and was, honestly, surprised he was allowed to get this close. 

Daryl said nothing and just watched the younger man. Some part of him knew exactly what was coming next, and most of him wanted it.

Jules slipped his hand into Daryl's and rose up on his toes to close their slight height gap. His lips pressed against Daryl's, and he was welcomed.

Daryl gently squeezed Jules's hand, leaned in so that he could be flat on his feet, and did his best to return the kiss. He was clumsy and out of practice, but Jules didn't seem to mind. Soon their tongues were meeting and Jules was nipping at the older man's lower lip. Daryl brought his free hand up to lightly cup his partner's cheek and jaw.

Jules wrapped his arms around Daryl's neck, and took a few steps back until he was right up against the kitchen counter. Daryl quickly hooked his arms under Jules's thighs and lifted him onto the surface. Jules, now sitting on the counter, wrapped his legs around Daryl's waist.

The two had been making out in Jules's kitchen for several minutes before there was a knock, followed by someone entering faster than the knock possibly could have been answered. 

"Hello? I saw you two get back a while ago, just wanted to che- Oh." Maggie entered the kitchen.

Daryl broke away from Jules as soon as he heard someone come in, but it wasn't fast enough and Jules still had his legs wrapped around him when Maggie came into the kitchen. He pushed away from the younger man and stormed past her and out the door without saying a word. He was bright red, a feat not easily accomplished.

Maggie bit her lip and tried not to laugh. Jules gave his best innocent look, which quickly cracked into a grin, and shrugged. 

"Sorry," she mouthed. She was clearly amused, but also definitely sorry for interrupting them. Maggie turned around and tried to catch up. "Daryl, wait! Come on, it's no big deal! Think of how many times you walked in on me an' Glenn! An' we were doin' way worse stuff!" She followed him out of the house and down the block.

Jules let out a big sigh, still grinning. Abruptly cut short or not, that was still definitely a win.


	4. Chapter 4

Maggie caught up with Daryl and put a hand on his shoulder. He spun around, shame and anger clear on his face. "Haven't you done enough?!" he barked.

"Woah, hey! Just cool it for a second, alright? What is goin' on?" Her genuine concern calmed him somewhat.

"You jus'... you weren't s'possed to see that," he avoided eye contact, looking to her chin and then the ground.

"Why not? You've seen me an' Glenn in way worse a state than that."

He clicked his tongue. "It's different."

"Different how?" She hoped he wasn't talking about what she thought he was.

"Do I really gotta spell it out for ya?" He was getting agitated again.

"No. No, Daryl, look, I get it, okay?" She tried to soothe him.

"No, you don't get it! How could you?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "No, you're right, I've never been in that position. But hey, Daryl," she tried to get his attention. "Daryl, look at me."

He huffed and then looked her in the eyes.

"We all love you, an' what I saw in there sure as hell ain't gonna change that. D'you understand me?"

Tentatively, he nodded. 

"You're loved, an' you'll always be loved."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he looked away, although now more out of embarrassment than shame.

She knew he wasn't going to all of a sudden internalize acceptance where he harbored so much pain, but it was a step. "Alright, come on, let's go home." She slipper her arm around his shoulder and they walked back to the Grimes house together.


	5. Chapter 5

Jules had easily caught onto the schedules of all his neighbors, and the next day he headed the few doors down to Daryl’s when he was fairly sure he would be home alone. He carried several pounds of fresh, wrapped pork with him.

Daryl answered the knock on his door promptly, and was pleased to see Jules despite the complete ambivalence on his face. “Sup?”

Jules smiled, happy to see Daryl and endeared by his to-the-point greeting. “Just came to drop off your share of the profits. Thanks for all the help yesterday.”

He nodded and took the package. “Yeah, no problem.”

They stood in silence for a moment before Jules asked “Anyone else home?”

“Mm, nope,” Daryl shook his head, and was silent just long enough that Jules decided to prompt him further.

“You… wanna give me a tour of your room?” he smirked. It wasn’t sly, and it wasn’t really meant to be. 

Daryl rolled his eyes, amusement clear in his expression. “Yeah, sure,” and he led Jules inside.

After a brief stop in the kitchen to put the meat in the fridge, the men headed upstairs and to Daryl’s very own, all to himself bedroom. The only thing that marked it as such were some spare clothes tossed on the floor and several half-constructed bolts on the bedside table.

Daryl watched Jules, waiting for a response, and was swiftly rewarded with both of the younger man’s hands clasped in his own. They were face to face, and for the first time Daryl really let himself notice the cathedral gray and near-teal of his central heterochromatic eyes. Poems could be written about those eyes, he thought. If he could write poetry, anyway. “They’re nice,” is all Daryl managed to get out, and awkwardly at that.

Jules half-smiled and bit at his lower lip. “Thanks.”

Feeling the self-conscious judgement begin to seep in, and Merle’s words on the precipice of the back of his mind, Daryl urged things forward before he would no longer have the chance. “So’d you come up here to just hold hands or what?”

He laughed briefly and shook his head, “No, definitely not.” Pulling one hand free from Daryl, Jules brought them both to the bed and laid down, guiding the older man in with him and on top of him.

Daryl held his body just inches over that of his partner, and while he would’ve frozen without direction, Jules’s eager lips spurred him to action. Soon his tongue was plunging into the other’s mouth.

As Daryl became more comfortable, Jules wrapped his legs around his hips and arms around his neck. His fingers tangled in his partner’s unkempt mane, and he let small sighs and near-whines of want slip past his lips.

Long unspent passion quickly overcame Daryl. He pushed his body down, forcing the rise and fall of their panting chests to fight against one another. As if by instinct, his hips rocked forcefully between Jules’s legs.

Jules groaned under the weight of Daryl and bucked up into him. “Ah, mon chéri, yes,” he gasped as their kisses parted in favor of breath. He arched his head back and Daryl dove in, biting and sucking at his throat.

The Louisiana French caused a shiver to bolt down Daryl’s spine. He dug into the younger man’s neck with recklessness, seeking to claim what he needed to be his. Jules responded by pulling him tighter and begging for more. When he was sure Jules would be sporting a mark that would last at least until they could do this again, he pulled up and slipped his hands under the hem of the other man’s t-shirt, dragging it up and baring his chest. Again Daryl dove in, this time teasing and abusing his nipples with lips and teeth and tongue and fingers. After years of repression, it was all flooding back to him.

Jules was entirely caught off guard. He expected Daryl would be an animal in bed some day, after weeks or months of breaking down intimacy barriers, but the beast had awakened with hardly any provocation. He adored it and basked in the overwhelming pleasure-pain Daryl’s efforts. He was noisy and emotive and made no effort to reign in his claws and travelling hands. The feeling of Daryl’s hardness rubbing harshly against his own erection made him desperate for things he knew they didn’t have time for. 

A little less than 20 minutes after Jules had stepped into the house, both men were shirtless and marked in various ways by the other. Their breath was heavy and their skin was soaked in sweat from the activity and summer heat. Just as Daryl was working off his belt, Jules’s phone alarm went off. Daryl stopped, confused, and waited.

Jules groaned with intense frustration and reached into his pocket to turn the alarm off. “I have to go.”

At least as frustrated, Daryl furrowed his brow. His voice was agitated, but the feeling was not directed at Jules, “Why the fuck for?”

“Maggie meets with Deanna until three and comes straight home every Tuesday. She’ll be here in the next five minutes. I’ll stay if you want me to - I got less than no issue with everyone in this whole damn town knowing we’re fucking, but…” he let his sentence end there. He didn’t need to finish it.

Daryl bit his lip while options and indecision raced through them. After a moment, he nodded. “Yeah, you…” it literally pained him to say it, but he knew it was better than the alternative for now. “You should go.”

Jules was a little disappointed but completely understanding. He quickly redressed and kissed Daryl one more time. “My place next time - it’ll just be you and me for as long as we need.”

He nodded, still frustrated but sure of his decision. “Lookin’ forward to it.”

Jules smiled and left the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need a beta reader. And someone who knows French. And someone to draw Jules. Anyone want to help me? I'll pay you in custom fan fiction. I'll write anything so long as I'm familiar with the source material. Hell, I'll even _learn a fandom_ if you can draw Jules well.


	6. Chapter 6

Daryl went straight to the shower, cleansing himself of the sweat and rubbing out the tension from his encounter. About ten minutes later he headed down the stairs, intending to check out which cuts Jules gave the family. When he entered the kitchen, Rick was sitting at the counter and finishing a glass of water.

“Hey,” Rick greeted him calmly, but something buried in his tone seemed accusatory. “Did you know Julien was in the house?”

Daryl stiffened but tried to act relaxed. He went to the fridge while he spoke. “Jules.”

“What?”

“His name is Jules. And yeah, I knew. I let ‘im in.”

Rick narrowed his eyes at Daryl. “Mhmm. And he let himself out?”

Daryl shrugged and pretended to inspect the package intently. “Yeah, I was busy with somethin’. Is there a problem?”

“I dunno, Daryl. Is it a problem that we let strange men wander around in our home without our supervision?”

Maggie, having heard the argument start, quietly slipped into the archway of the kitchen and listened. Neither of the men seemed to notice her, though she was pretty apparent.

Daryl was starting to get agitated, both guarding his secret and defending his competence. “He’s not a strange man, Rick,” he clicked his tongue, “I thought you trusted me.”

“Th- you thought I trusted you? Daryl, I do trust you, okay. But I don’t trust him.”

“Fine, but I do, an’ he was fine to let himself out.”

“How do you know that, Daryl? We don’t know any of these people," he was still calm, but Daryl continued to hear judgement.

He put the meat back and slammed the fridge door. “I just do! Leave it alone.”

“What were you even doing that you were too busy to show him out? And what was he in the house for in the first place?”

Daryl spoke before he could think, “None of your damn business is what!”

Rick looked dumbfounded. “None of my business?” he stood up. “The hell it ain’t! Everything that goes on in this house is my business!”

“Yeah, well my life ain’t your business, so keep your fuckin’ nose out of it, will ya?!” He barked back.

“Your life? What are you even talkin’ about? What the hell is wrong with you?” Rick couldn’t have known, but those were exactly the wrong words to say. 

Memories of Merle's abuse, and especially his taunts, suddenly became very vivid and present to Daryl. His face went red. “Ain’t fuckin’ nothin’ wrong with me! The fuck is wrong with you?! I don’t need to take this shit no more! Fuck you!” Daryl flipped Rick off as he stormed out of the kitchen and past Maggie. He grabbed his crossbow from by the door on his way out of the house.

Rick stared at the doorway where Daryl was, and then looked to Maggie, completely unsure of what the just happened.

Maggie mulled over what exactly to say for a moment, unsure if she should go after Daryl or explain things to Rick. Eventually, she decided Daryl would calm down better without her right now, and she offered, “There’s some things you might need to know about Daryl…”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for the chapter: Daryl accidentally calls Tara the D word. No, not dick. Not damn either.

Daryl made his way to the small pond in town, trying to clear his head from the tirade of Merle’s abuses. He took a seat at the water’s edge, knees pulled to his chest, legs spread somewhat, and arms forming a bridge between them to rest his chin on. He sat like that for a long while, watching the ripples the wind formed over the surface of the pond, and slowly cutting his brother’s words with Maggie’s and his own. He noticed Tara’s approach on an unconscious level, so was surprised but not at all startled when she was suddenly standing at his side.

“Hey, you look worse than usual,” she wasn’t super tactful.

Daryl just shrugged and brought his arms down, leaning back on his hands.

“Can I sit?” She was asking permission to help him, really.

He shrugged again, “Whatever.”

She sat with him and watched him for a minute. “I know you’re not really the talking type, but I’m here.”

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and was quiet for a few moments more. “C’n I ask you somethin’?”

“Yeah, sure, anything,” she meant it.

“You’re a dyke, right?” Merle’s word slipped past his tongue too easily.

“Woah, excuse me?!” Tara was instantly indignant. “What the hell did you just say to me?”

Daryl clicked his tongue, “What? I didn’t mean nothin’ by it.” He really didn’t, but he knew what he said was wrong.

Tara reminded herself of all the shit she put the group through and calmed herself. With a heavy sigh, she responded. “Yeah, I’m gay, but if you _ever_ use that word around me again, we’re gonna have a real problem. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, got it,” and under his breath he mumbled, “sorry.”

“Good. Now why are you asking? Were you thinking of asking me out?” She tried to joke, but no one laughed.

“You from Georgia?” It wasn’t really an answer to her question.

“Born and raised.”

Daryl just nodded.

“Okay… good talk.” She was confused and maybe a little bothered. Very, very slowly she put the pieces together.

“Oh… Oh. _Oh_. Is that what this is about?” She furrowed her brow and searched his face for a reaction.

He refused to look at her, just staring out at the water, and shrugged. “Maybe.”

Tara scoffed. “Maybe? Come on, man, at least be straight with me,” there was no pun intended, but Daryl gave a very slight half-laugh.

Disarmed just enough, he was honest but still terse. “Yeah.” 

“Well, you can talk to me about it, whatever it is. I won’t judge you.”

She was his best option and he knew it. If he kept all of it in again, Merle would eat him alive. He started with the most current problem. “I think Rick knows.”

“That you’re in love with him?” It was a guess, but she was pretty confident.

“What? No!” He clicked his tongue, “where’d you get an idea like that?” his face was a little red despite his insistence. “I don’t love Rick. I don’t anything Rick.”

“You don’t ‘anything’ Rick,” she smiled, amused. “Yeah, okay. So what, you think he thinks you’re gay?”

Daryl physically winced at the phrase. He wasn’t ready to hear himself described that way. He wasn’t ready to admit that’s what he was. “I think he thinks I was… havin’ company,” that was really the most accurate description he could handle, “and I think he’s pissed about it.”

“Why, because he’s in love with you?” Tara poked at it again, this time in jest. She was just the right kind of person, and had just the right kind of relationship with Daryl, that he found it slightly disarming rather than irritating.

“Tch, you know he don’t love me like that. Stay on topic!” He smiled a little at her. It was a flattering thing to think about, no matter how impossible.

She laughed, “Yeah, okay. For real, then, I just…” she stopped and thought before she spoke more. “Look, I guess I really don’t know what Rick would think of that, but I can’t imagine anything coming between you and him. Like really, I don’t think there’s anything you could ever do or think or say that would put a wedge between you. Even if he was homophobic before all this started - and let’s be real, a sheriff from Small Town, Georgia - he probably was… things are different now. None of that shit matters. You’re his right hand, end of story.”

He chewed on his lip while listening and trying to internalize what she was saying.

“You’re so fucking loved, Daryl. Do you know that? I don’t really think you do. But you are, and where you like to put your dick isn’t gonna change that.” She knew sexuality meant a hell of a lot more than that, but simpler seemed better right now.

Her irreverence made him roll his eyes but also served to speak his language. That’s exactly what he would’ve said to Beth - well, more or less. He took it to heart. “Yeah. Thanks.”

They sat and watched the pond together in silence for a long while.


	8. Back at the Grimes...

“You know what all that was about?” Rick was still on edge, but directed no irritation at Maggie.

“Yeah, I… I think so,” she paused. “But it really isn’t my place to tell you, Rick, I’m sorry. I just… please know that he ain’t losin’ his mind. And try asking him later tonight. Alone or with just me. Don’t drag it out in front of the whole family.

Rick was frustrated but fully understanding of Maggie’s position. He nodded in response. “Yeah, okay. I’ll do that. Is he gonna be alright?”

She looked skeptical for a minute. “Yeah, I think he will be, but…” she sighed heavily. “Just… whatever he says or does tonight, you gotta support him, okay?”

He furrowed his brow, now confused. “Support him? What does that mean?”

“Jus’ think before you speak an’ I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Rick wasn’t satisfied, but he was ready to let it go. “Alright. I’ll do my best.”


	9. Chapter 9

Dinner that night was painfully awkward. Everyone from both houses gathered together to enjoy the meal Carol and Maggie had prepared for them. At first, most everyone was cheerful, but the tension between Rick, Maggie, Tara, and Daryl was so thick that the mood didn’t last long.

Rick was confused, concerned, and eager to find out what was happening.

Maggie was anxious about Rick putting his foot in his mouth and saying something that made things even worse for Daryl, and of Daryl exploding and bringing the whole family into the know before he was ready.

Tara was just concerned about Daryl. She’d been in the closet for a long time before the apocalypse and it was hell.

Daryl was self-conscious about the way he felt and the way the other three were looking at him. He was angry and nervous about everyone’s potential reaction if the secret got out. He was also largely preoccupied with fantasies of Jules that wouldn’t leave him alone for anything.

Never one to tolerate secrets, Glenn was the first to say something. “Did something happen today? You look like my parents did when they had to tell me and my brother that our dog died while we were at camp.”

“That is an apt analogy. Even I can tell something is not right here.” Eugene chimed in.

Most of the family looked to Rick for an explanation. Maggie mouthed to Daryl, “You don’t need to let this out yet. I can make somethin’ up.”

“Uh, well. Yeah, something did happen today. It was, uh,” Rick searched for a cover story.

Daryl considered his next move while Rick briefly floundered. He decided to own up, at least partially. There were too many bloodhounds in this family, and a total lie would only make things worse. “I had someone in the house today. She let herself out. Rick’s pissed I wasn’t more careful, I’m pissed he doesn’t mind his own damn business. Anymore stupid fuckin’ questions?”

The use of ‘she’ was not missed by the three who knew the truth. Neither of them even considered correcting him.

The family was quiet, some of them stunned and some satisfied. Carl was the first to speak.

With a half-grin of awe, “Woah, Daryl, did you get laid?”

“Carl!” Rick and Carol both chastised. Most of the family laughed.

“What?” he knew damn well he was being cheeky.

Daryl smiled. “Woulda if your dad hadn’t come home early.”

“Nice,” Carl nodded with admiration and approval. “Is she hot?”

“Fuckin’ right,”

“Nice!”

“Okay, that’s about all I can listen to on the subject of Daryl’s conquests. You boys can have weird story time after dinner,” Sasha interjected. “Michonne, how was the patrol today?”

With that the subject was changed and the mood was lightened. Tara stealthily gave a reassuring squeeze on Daryl’s knee and smiled. She got it, and she wanted him to know it was okay.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After 6000 words, it's time for a little smut. Before I posted this chapter the fic had a lower rating, so this is your warning that the it has now become explicit.

Rick had meant to catch up with Daryl and talk about what happened earlier, but by the time he, Abraham, and Rosita had finished the clean up from dinner, Daryl was gone.

Thoughts of Jules had been driving him crazy all evening. It was late and would be dark soon, but Daryl assumed he wouldn’t be imposing. Heading a few doors down, he knocked and straightened himself out while he waited.

Jules looked through the window on his door before opening it, an old habit from neighborhoods less friendly. As usual, he was wearing a smirk. “I didn’t expect to be seeing you so soon.”

He came inside as Jules moved over. He heard the door shut behind him, and his heart started to race. He’d spent too much time anticipating, and now his nerves were kicking in.

“You come looking for a tour of my room this time?” Jules licked his lips.

Daryl tried to work through the anxiety. “Yeah.”

“You know, the whole house is mine. We don’t just have to tour my bedroom,” he flashed a devious smile. 

The way Jules smiled reminded Daryl of why he was here and snapped him out of the haze of fear and repression. He thought he could never get tired of the way those lips curled. “Tryna get kinky on me before we even done anything?” he smiled back.

“Kinky?” Jules quirked an eyebrow and moved up to Daryl, taking his hands just like he had hours earlier. “Oh, mon chéri, you have no idea what kinky even is, I promise you,” his accent was thicker than it was this afternoon. Jules grinned up at Daryl.

Daryl licked his lips and met his partner’s gaze steadily. “Yeah? How bout you show me.”

“I will, I promise. But step at a time, non?” 

Daryl nodded, his heart starting to race for a much different reason now. “Yeah, step at a time, sounds good.”

Jules released one of Daryl’s hands and turned on his heels, leading the man upstairs.

Daryl’s patience was paper thin, and the moment they were in his room, Daryl tugged at Jules’s shirt to get it off of him. 

Jules offered much more than his shirt, and stripped out of everything but his underwear. Daryl was going to have to work for that last piece, he decided. Daryl watched him undress, and as soon as he was finished, Jules had his hands all over the older man, seeking to make him equally naked.

Daryl let himself be undressed, helping where was necessary, and pulled Jules into an embrace when their skin had been bared. He gripped the shorter man’s sides, but was quickly corrected as his hands were led to rest on Jules’s ass. 

Jules tangled his fingers in Daryl’s hair and arched onto his tiptoes to kiss him. 

Daryl pressed tightly to him and welcomed his lips eagerly. As their tongues met, he lifted Jules up and brought him to the bed, setting him down harshly and crawling on top of him. He wanted things just like they were earlier that day - just like he’d been fantasizing about for hours.

His wish was granted without asking. Jules wrapped himself around Daryl just as he had before. This time, though, there was much less fabric to get between the feeling of their hardening cocks pressed together. It made Jules cry out and Daryl suck air through his teeth. 

Daryl pulled back, needing to cool off a bit before trying that again. Instead, he licked lightly at the fully blossomed hickeys he’d left on his lover in various places and took pride in his work.

The hot slickness across his neck and chest made Jules shudder and beg for more. He bucked his hips almost involuntarily when Daryl flicked his tongue over his nipple. “ _Fuck_ , Daryl, that’s good!” He whined “Come back, press against me again, please mon chéri, I need it.”

Under a spell of his own lust and Jules’s honey voice, he did almost as he was told. He decided to give Jules the contact he was desperate for without testing his under-practiced ability to hold himself at bay. He tugged at the waistband of his underwear, and Jules lifted up enough to aid Daryl in getting them off. He moved to take hold of it, but as soon as Daryl actually saw, with his eyes and in the light, another man’s bare cock, he froze.

“Daryl,” Jules whined and looked down, annoyed by the hold up. All irritation fled when he saw the pensivity marring Daryl’s features. He quickly sat up and took his cheek in his hand. “Hey, chéri, you okay?”

He bit at his own lip and shook his head. “I… I don’t think I can do this. This isn’t right.”

Jules gently hushed him. “It’s okay. I’m here. There’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing, okay?” his tone was calming.

Daryl wanted to believe him, but it was so hard. He seemed unsure.

“Lie down for me, Daryl. Right here, right beside me. Can you do that?”

He nodded and started to take his position. 

Jules grabbed his underwear and slid it back on before crawling between Daryl’s legs. “Just relax for me, chéri. If it gets too much again tell me and I’ll stop, I promise. Just try to relax. You’re safe, and this is okay.”

Daryl nodded his consent and let his head fall back onto the pillow. He took a few deep breaths as he felt Jules sliding his cock out from its cloth confines. He had gone soft from the sudden breakdown, but his lover’s hand was expertly turning that around. He closed his eyes and tried to let himself feel rather than think. His gut told him this was right.

Jules murmured praises and adoration as Daryl grew stiff for him again. When Daryl seemed at ease, he ran his tongue up the underside of Daryl’s cock and slipped the head into his mouth. 

Daryl let out a quiet groan of approval and moved one of his hands to caress Jules’s head and hair. 

He began with light suction and slow, gentle movement with his lips and hand up and down Daryl’s length. He was slow with every step, every stage, careful not to rush or overwhelm his partner.

In what felt like no time, Daryl was panting and clenching his lover’s hair. He vocalized the occasional, quiet ‘fuck’ and ‘yeah’, but all of his encouragements were subtle. 

Jules worked Daryl to the best of his ability, full and wet lips dragging up and plunging down his shaft, tongue flicking over his head and gentle suction throughout. With his spare hand, Jules took Daryl’s balls into his palm, offering just barely enough pressure to be present.

Daryl was soon bucking into his mouth recklessly. His breath was heavy and loud, but his voice was still barely present. 

Despite the faintness of his words, Jules was sure he could hear his name. He moaned on Daryl’s cock as he felt his orgasm impending, growing desperate himself to feel Daryl’s release. 

Daryl cried out before his voice, and breath, briefly cut off. He gripped Jules’s head and thrust deeply, holding him still. After a few hot and harsh pumps of his come flooding his partner’s mouth, his grip loosened and he returned to a slowly-calming pant.

Jules swallowed every bit he could get eagerly, stilling but giving waves of suction through Daryl’s entire orgasm. Even when Daryl released him, he took a moment to pull off, and did so with a pop. He sat up and half-grinned at Daryl. The room was dark now, and moonlight cast interesting shadows over Daryl’s sweat-gleaming body. “You’re gorgeous,” he whispered, although in a room this quiet the words rang clear to Daryl.

He looked up to Jules with heavy-lidded eyes, and offered no response but a smile.

Jules crawled to Daryl’s side and laid beside him, head on his chest and bodies pressed together in the cooling room.

“D’you want me to… I mean you didn’t…”

He shook his head. “No. I couldn’t be happier.”

Daryl believed him and nodded.

“Will you stay the night?”

He thought about it for a minute, trying to anticipate the reactions of his family if he wasn’t there in the morning. Ultimately, he couldn’t care more about that than his desire to be here. He nodded again. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always feel nervous and self-conscious about sex scenes so... feedback please?


	11. Chapter 11

Nearing dawn, Daryl woke Jules up and said goodbye. “Hey, Jules,” he kissed the other man’s neck and ran a hand over his chest.

He stirred and opened an eye. “Mmm?”

“I gotta go. If I’m not there for breakfast there’s gonna be a lot of talk. I ain’t the kinda ass to just up n’ leave though.”

Jules nodded. “Okay. Just promise we’ll do this again?”

Daryl smiled and kissed him, hand gripping his side possessively. When he broke the kiss, “Yeah, I promise.”

Jules smiled, rolled over, and was asleep again in minutes.

After getting dressed, he slipped back out into the street and snuck into his house. He was able to get up to his room undetected.

Daryl stayed in his room as the house slowly became active. He spent most of the time relaxing in his bed and daydreaming about his new… whatever Jules was. At about seven there was a knock. He sat up and answered, “What?”

Rick opened the door and closed it behind him.

_Damnit_. Daryl knew there was no getting out of this.

“Mornin’,” Rick greeted.

“Mornin’,” Daryl clearly knew what was coming.

“So… about yesterday.”

“What about it?” he was already getting defensive.

Rick sighed. He didn’t want to fight. “Jus’... Just give me a chance here, Daryl. What’s goin’ on with you?”

Daryl ran his hands through his hair, thinking on what to say.

“Look, okay, here’s what I got. Maybe you can just fill in the blanks for me? You had Jules over for something. When I came home with Maggie, he was coming down the stairs. He looked particularly smug, even for him, then he and Maggie looked at each other like they had a secret - but like a good one, it wasn’t a guilty look. Then, not thirty seconds after he’s out the door, you’re in the shower. Maggie looked like she knew somethin’ about it but she wouldn’t tell me, then after you an’ I had our disagreement, she told me she knew what it was about but she still wouldn’t tell me, and said I had to hear it from you. So, what’m I missin’?”

Daryl listened patiently, and was grateful to hear that Maggie kept her mouth shut about it. After another minute of thinking, he finally gave an answer. “I wasn’t lyin’ about what I said to Carl last night.”

At first Rick wasn’t sure how that was related, and after he pieced it together he still wasn’t sure. It’s not an assumption he could make lightly. “‘Cept… it was Jules instead of a she? Is that what you’re saying?”

Daryl nodded, “Yeah. He tried to get out of here before Maggie got home so none of us would have to go through this shit, but I guess the timing was off. And I didn’t come down with him for obvious reasons.”

Rick thought, slowly accepting what he was hearing. “Alright. Okay. I’ll admit I’m surprised, but I can handle that.” He looked over Daryl and could read the anxiety, shame, and forced-pride on him with ease. He didn’t know what to say. “I… I get how this could be a very difficult situation for you to be in, Daryl. I met your brother, I know growin’ up with him musta been hell even without you bein’... you know. I don’t know how I can help you with that, but you gotta know that none of us are like he was.”

Daryl was listening and trying to soak it in, but he was completely silent and offered no gesture or expression of understanding.

Rick rubbed his face, “Okay, good, well. I, uh, I’m gonna go see how breakfast is going. I’ll see you in a while.”

Daryl watched him turn to leave.

Rick grabbed the door handle, but hesitated, and decided he had one last thing to add. “Look, I’ll keep this a secret as long as you want it to be one, okay? But… I don’t think it’s good for you or any of us to be lyin’. Especially not to each other, and especially not in this new place.”

Finally something that brought Daryl to words. “You’re not upset about Carl finding out?”

Rick looked confused. “Carl? Why would I be upset about him finding out?”

Daryl shrugged. “I dunno, I might… influence him or something.”

Rick laughed.

Daryl wasn’t amused.

“Is that how it worked for you?”

“Well, no, but...”

“Daryl, come on. It may be the end of the world but it is the 21st century. I know you’re not gonna turn my boy gay.”

He seemed relieved.

Rick shrugged. “And so what if he isn’t straight?” His tone reflected as much indifference as his words. With that, he left the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Daryl eventually joined his family for breakfast. The atmosphere was considerably less tense than it had been at dinner the night before, and all members dispersed to their jobs in good spirits. Daryl, who wasn’t due to go on another run for a few days yet, decided to go the few doors down to see if Jules wanted any company.

As Daryl approached, Jules was just coming out of his house. He was dressed in stiff denim and long-sleeved linen. “Ah, mon chéri!” he beamed. “Good to see you this morning. To be honest, I was nervous you wouldn’t call, so to speak.” he hopped down the few steps of his porch and met Daryl in the street.

He couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiasm he was greeted with.

Jules locked his hands in Daryl’s. “I can make time for a quickie if you want, chéri, but I do need to be getting to work soon.”

Daryl’s face went hot with the public affection, but he swallowed the anxiety rather than pulling back. “Nah, I didn’t come for that. I just wanted to see you.” Really, he did, and that on it’s own made him nervous. Merle, Sophia, Hershel, Beth - they’d all taught him that in this world, attachment meant pain. His list of loved ones was long enough, he didn’t want another.

“That’s… maybe the sweetest thing that’s been said to me since I got here.” Jules smiled and raised up onto his toes to kiss Daryl. Their lips met only briefly.

“Yeah, well, call me mister sensitive, I guess,” his smiled with his obvious sarcasm.

Jules laughed, “Well, you can join me at work, if you want.”

Daryl considered it. “What d’you do?”

“Hunt,” he smiled, assuming that was right up Daryl’s alley.

“Hunt… with Rosie?”

Jules nodded.

“Yeah, alright. Sounds like a good day.”

The two stopped back by Daryl’s house for his crossbow, then the armory for a just-in-case gun, and finally they headed out. After getting into the surrounding forest, Daryl quietly initiated conversation.

“So what do you hunt out here?”

Jules shrugged. “Normal stuff, really - turkey, pheasant, quail… Boar is the best game we can get, we go after that more than anything. If Rosie gets enough rabbits to eat her fill, I get the rest. And if we see a deer, which basically never happens, Rosie’ll give it a go if I want her to. I never do because I never have help and I can’t drag one back on my own, but with you here maybe we’ll get lucky.” Jules shot him a side-eye smirk “Or maybe I’ll get lucky anyway?”

Daryl scoffed, noticing but ignoring the come-on. “So you skip all the small game?”

Jules nodded, “Yeah, mostly. I mean, I’ll take some for myself but we don’t catch a lot ‘cause the pantry doesn’t want it. They sorta have a pre-apocalypse-game-only rule.”

“What about foxes? I bet there are a lot around here.”

He shook his head, “Nah. I just… I can’t bring myself to it, honestly. If we were in dire straights I’d do it, but…”

Daryl nodded, “I get it. I got animals like that.”

Jules smiled and quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Wolves. Can’t do it. I’m sure they make great eats but that’s less than last resort.”

“Just wolves or is that all dogs?”

Daryl gave a half-laugh. “I guess I’m not excited about the prospect of eatin’ dog either, but it’s different. We’ve had to do it a coupla times. They were feral and attacked us, so that made it easy, but still,” he punctuated his statement with a shrug.

They travelled in silence a bit longer before Jules called Rosette with his clicker. From there, the three hunted until the early afternoon, field dressing and carrying any quarry with them for the duration.

At around two, they stopped for lunch. Daryl set to work building a fire while Jules skinned the small game they caught. When he was finished, Daryl sat closely behind Jules and put his hands on his waist, observing.

Jules grabbed a few bottles from his pack and sprinkled some from each bottle onto the small bits of squirrel and gopher meat. 

Daryl was amused, “What is that?”

“Salt, pepper, a lemon thyme.”

He laughed. “You’re seasoning it? Seriously?”

“Yeah! We may be eating like it’s the apocalypse, but it doesn’t have to taste like it.”

Daryl rolled his eyes and set his chin on Jules’s shoulder. “Whatever you say… cher,” he tried to emulate his way of speaking.

Jules laughed. “That’s not how you use that, chéri, and your accent is terrible. I love that you tried, though.” He craned his neck and kissed Daryl before getting up and setting the meat on a spit over the fire. 

When he sat back down on the downed log, he faced Daryl. With a simple smirk and his teeth brushing over his lower lip, the provocation was too much for Daryl.

Daryl pushed Jules down, his back flat against the wood, and leaned over him.

“Fuuuck yes,” Jules grinned up at him.

Daryl dove in, kissing him harshly as Jules bucked upward. Soon, he moved from lips to neck, and Jules groaned into his ear.

Jules ran his hands over Daryl’s chest. “Can’t even wait to get me back to town, eh?” he licked his lips.

“No reason I can’t have you now and then.” He went back to work on Jules’s soft skin.

“That would be true, chéri, but there are walkers out here, and our food will burn. And, most importantly, I didn’t grab any lube.”

Daryl nipped before he spoke, “Who said I’m gonna fuck you?”

“Oh, what, you expect head again?” Jules smiled at him playfully.

“Maybe I do.”

He bit his lower lip and squirmed underneath Daryl. “You’re gonna have to wait, love. Forest blowjobs during tick season just ain’t my thing.”

Daryl laughed. “It’s kind of a turn on that you even consider shit like that,”

“What, ‘cause you’re used to city boys with no sense?”

“Basically, yeah,” he licked up Jules’s neck and around his collar bone.

“Yeah, fuck that, lyme disease is the last thing I need,” he smiled. “Now get off of me, I don’t want our lunch to burn.”


	13. Chapter 13

After a long day of working together, the two caught significant game. They worked together to bring the majority of it back to the pantry, and brought some of the small stuff back to Jules's home where they finished skinning and preparing it together. After packing quite a bit of squirrel and pigeon meat into the freezer, they washed their hands and retired to the living room, sitting on Jules's couch hand-in-hand.

They cuddled for a while, simply enjoying the presence of one another, before Daryl spoke up.

"How long you been..." his question trailed off.

Jules could guess well enough at what he meant. "I was twelve when I told my parents, fourteen when I had my first encounter with another boy." He spoke matter-of-factly. He didn't know why Daryl wanted to know, but he was an open book for him.

Daryl nodded and reflected, briefly, on what it would have meant to be out at any age before his brother died. It would've been impossible. "D'you have any idea how old I am?" he questioned, a little playful. He knew it really didn't matter at this point, but he wondered if Jules knew what he'd been getting into.

The younger man shrugged. "Thirty?"

He gave a half-grin. "Flatterin', but nah. Add another ten to that 'n yer close."

"Christ, you are old 'nough t' be my daddy."

"Guess so," Daryl offered a shrug. He was in no place to be anyone's daddy, especially not a nineteen year old's.

The two sat together, chatting about their hunts, today and before the apocalypse. When dinnertime approached, Daryl excused himself to head back to the Grimes residence.

Jules was sad, and lonely, but hid it well as he bid Daryl a good night.


End file.
